Aircraft energy harvesting system

ABSTRACT

An energy harvesting system is provided and a corresponding method for harvesting energy from an aircraft cabin pressurization system utilizing the same. According to one aspect, an energy harvesting system includes an aircraft cabin enclosing a high-pressure environment of pressurized air. An air input receives incoming air from a low-pressure environment and an air output expels outgoing air from the high-pressure environment. A turbine receives the pressurized air expelled from the aircraft cabin and utilizes the pressurized air to produce rotational motion on a turbine shaft. An energy harvesting mechanism is coupled to the turbine shaft and utilizes the rotational motion from the turbine shaft to compress the incoming air or to create electrical energy.

BACKGROUND

As an aircraft ascends, the ambient atmosphere decreases in pressure andtemperature. To maintain passenger comfort and to provide oxygen withinthe aircraft cabin, conventional aircraft utilize air compressors tocompress the cold, low-pressure atmospheric air and inject it into theaircraft cabin. A desired air pressure within the aircraft cabin ismaintained while providing a fresh supply of oxygen by expelling thewarm, pressurized air within the cabin to the external ambientatmosphere at an appropriate rate.

The continuous refreshing of the pressurized air within the aircraftcabin ultimately has a fuel cost associated with the process. On manyaircraft, the electrical power associated with the operation of the aircompressors originates from electrical generators that are mechanicallycoupled to the gearboxes of one or more of the aircraft's engines. Theengines utilize additional fuel to overcome the additional rotationalresistance from the electrical generators, which reduces the aircraft'sfuel efficiency.

It is with respect to these considerations and others that thedisclosure made herein is presented.

SUMMARY

It should be appreciated that this Summary is provided to introduce aselection of concepts in a simplified form that are further describedbelow in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to beused to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

Concepts and technologies described herein provide for an energyharvesting system associated with aircraft cabin pressurization andcorresponding method for harvesting energy. According to one aspect, anenergy harvesting system includes an aircraft cabin that encloses ahigh-pressure environment of pressurized air. The aircraft cabin has anair input for receiving incoming air from a low-pressure environment andan air output for expelling outgoing air from the high-pressureenvironment. A turbine receives the pressurized air expelled from theaircraft cabin and utilizes the pressurized air to produce rotationalmotion on a turbine shaft. An energy harvesting mechanism is coupled tothe turbine shaft and utilizes the rotational motion from the turbineshaft to compress the incoming air or to create electrical energy.

According to yet another aspect, a method for harvesting energy from anaircraft cabin pressurization system is provided. The method includesreceiving pressurized air from a high-pressure environment within anaircraft cabin. The pressurized air is released into a low-pressureenvironment through a turbine for imparting rotational motion to aturbine shaft. The rotational motion of the turbine shaft is received atan energy harvesting mechanism, where the rotational motion is used tocompress incoming air to create pressurized air for the aircraft cabin.Alternatively, the rotational motion of the turbine shaft may beconverted into electrical energy by the energy harvesting mechanism andprovided to an electrical load.

According to another aspect, an energy harvesting system is provided.The system includes an aircraft cabin, a compressor, a turbine, and anenergy harvesting mechanism. The aircraft cabin encloses a high-pressureenvironment of pressurized air. An air input receives incoming air froma low-pressure environment and an air output expels outgoing air fromthe high-pressure environment. The compressor receives the incoming airat a first pressure and provides the pressurized air to thehigh-pressure environment within the aircraft cabin at a second pressurethat is higher than the first pressure. The turbine has a turbine shaftand receives pressurized air expelled from the aircraft cabin and usesthe pressurized air to produce rotational motion on the turbine shaft.The energy harvesting mechanism is coupled to the turbine shaft andutilizes the rotational motion to compress the incoming air or createelectrical energy for an electrical load. The turbine and the compressorare thermally coupled so that heat generated within a compressionchamber of the compressor is transferred to an expansion chamber of theturbine.

The features, functions, and advantages that have been discussed can beachieved independently in various embodiments of the present disclosureor may be combined in yet other embodiments, further details of whichcan be seen with reference to the following description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an aircraft having an air pressurizationsystem configured with an energy harvesting system according to variousembodiments described herein;

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating various aspects of an energy harvestingsystem according to various embodiments described herein;

FIGS. 3A-3C are block diagrams showing components of an energyharvesting mechanism according to alternative embodiments describedherein;

FIG. 4A shows a diagram illustrating energy harvesting associated withthe transfer of thermal energy from a compressor to a thermal loadaccording to alternative embodiments described herein;

FIG. 4B shows a diagram illustrating thermal coupling of a compressionchamber of a compressor and an expansion chamber of a turbine accordingto various alternative embodiments described herein; and

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram showing a method for harvesting energy from anaircraft cabin pressurization system according to various embodimentsdescribed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description is directed to energy harvestingsystems, and a corresponding method for harvesting energy from anaircraft cabin pressurization system utilizing the same. As discussedabove, conventional aircraft cabin pressurization systems recycle airwithin the cabin by compressing cool, ambient air from outside theaircraft cabin to provide pressurized air, while venting the warmerpressurized air back to the ambient air outside the aircraft cabin. Thisair pressurization system decreases fuel efficiency as the aircraftengines utilize additional fuel to overcome the additional rotationalresistance from the electrical generators used to power the aircompressors.

Utilizing the concepts and technologies described herein, an energyharvesting system takes advantage of the warm, pressurized air expandinginto the low-pressure environment as it is expelled from the aircraftcabin. The various embodiments discussed herein route the expelled airthrough a turbine that may be coupled to an air compressor, may beelectrically coupled to an electrical generator, or both. Coupling theturbine to the air compressor provides the compressor with a rotationalenergy that may be used to compress incoming air. Coupling may includemechanically coupling two components such that the components arephysically attached to one another, pneumatically coupling thecomponents such that motion or action by one component pneumaticallydrives or acts on the other component, hydraulically coupling thecomponents such that motion or action by one component hydraulicallydrives or acts on the other component, or a combination thereof.

Electrically coupling the turbine to an electrical generator createselectricity that may be provided to an electrical load, including anelectric motor that may be used to drive a compressor to pressurizeincoming air. Other examples of electrical loads that may receive theelectrical power created by the generator will be described below.Moreover, heat energy may be harvested from the air compressor andprovided back to the cold air entering the compressor, to thepressurized air entering the turbine, or to any suitable thermal load.

In the following detailed description, references are made to theaccompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and which are shown byway of illustration, specific embodiments, or examples. Referring now tothe drawings, in which like numerals represent like elements through theseveral figures, an energy harvesting system and method for utilizingthe same to harvest energy from an aircraft cabin pressurization systemaccording to the various embodiments will be described.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an aircraft 102 having an airpressurization system 100 configured with an energy harvesting system120 according to various embodiments described herein. The energyharvesting system 120 may be a component of an environmental controlsystem (ECS) or a ventilation system of the aircraft 102 associated withan aircraft cabin pressurization system. The aircraft 102 includes anaircraft cabin 110, which encloses a high-pressure environment 140 ofpressurized air 112. As discussed above, as the aircraft 100 climbs tohigher altitudes, the pressure inside the aircraft cabin 110 ismaintained, which is a higher pressure than the low-pressure environment130 surrounding the aircraft 102. To provide the passengers with acontinuous fresh supply of oxygen, the pressurized air 112 within theaircraft cabin 110 is refreshed with air from the low-pressureenvironment 130 outside the aircraft cabin 110. In doing so, theaircraft cabin 110 has an air input 104 and an air output 106. Thelocations of the air input 104 and the air output 106 are shown inarbitrary positions for illustrative purposes. The exact locations ofthe air input 104 and the air output 106 within the aircraft cabin 110are not limited to the locations shown in FIG. 1.

As seen in FIG. 1, incoming air 108 flows from the low-pressureenvironment 130 through the air input 104 into the high-pressureenvironment 140 within the aircraft cabin 110. As the incoming air 108passes through the air input 104, a compressor compresses thelow-pressure air to create the pressurized air 112. As the pressurizedair 112 is expelled from the aircraft cabin 110 through the air output106, the outgoing air 118 expands into the low-pressure environment.Consequently, the pressurized air 112 possesses a large amount ofpotential energy. According to the various embodiments described herein,this potential energy is harvested by an energy harvesting system 120.

Turning to FIG. 2, components of an energy harvesting system 120 will bedescribed. According to various embodiments, the energy harvestingsystem 120 includes an energy harvesting mechanism 200 and a turbine202, which are coupled together with a turbine shaft 204. The turbine202 is coupled to the air output 106 in order to capture the energy ofthe pressurized air 112 as it expands into the low-pressure environment130. This expansion imparts a rotational motion on the turbine shaft204, which is coupled to the energy harvesting mechanism 200.

The energy harvesting mechanism 200 generally includes any components ordevices that are directly or indirectly coupled to the turbine 202 thatconvert the rotational motion of the turbine shaft 204 to mechanical orelectrical energy that may be used with an aircraft system. The variousembodiments encompassing mechanical and electrical coupling of theenergy harvesting mechanism 200 to the compressor or other load will bedescribed in greater detail below with respect to FIGS. 3A and 3B.

FIG. 2 provides an overview of the flow of air in and out of an aircraft102 through the air pressurization system 100, and the generalconfiguration of the corresponding energy harvesting system 120according to embodiments described herein. As the incoming air 108 isdrawn into the compressor 206, the air is compressed and provided to thehigh-pressure environment 140 within the aircraft cabin 110 aspressurized air 112. The pressurized air 112 is continuously orperiodically expelled back into the low-pressure environment 130 asfresh air is brought into the aircraft cabin 110. Due to the pressureand temperature differences between the pressurized air 112 in thehigh-pressure environment 140, which is warm and at a relatively highpressure compared with external air, and the cooler air in thelow-pressure environment 130, the pressurized air 112 expands rapidly asit exits the aircraft cabin 110 through the air output 106. By utilizinga turbine 202 at the air output 106, the energy of the outgoing air 118as it expands may be used to impart a rotational motion on the turbineshaft 204. The turbine shaft 204 is coupled to the energy harvestingmechanism 200, which directly or indirectly couples the turbine shaft204 to the compressor 206 via mechanical or electrical coupling,respectively. In addition, or alternatively, the energy harvestingmechanism 200 may include an electrical generator and one or moreelectrical loads coupled to the turbine shaft 204.

Turning to FIGS. 3A-3C, alternative embodiments of the energy harvestingmechanism 200 will be described. FIG. 3A shows a first embodimentassociated with the energy harvesting mechanism 200 in which the turbineshaft 204 is directly or mechanically coupled to a device that utilizesthe rotational motion of the turbine shaft 204 to do mechanical work.For example, the energy harvesting mechanism 200 of one embodimentincludes a compressor 206 coupled to the turbine shaft 204. According tothis embodiment, the turbine shaft 204 is directly and mechanicallycoupled to the compressor 206 so that rotation of the turbine 202 andcorresponding turbine shaft 204 imparts a rotational motion on thecompressor 206 to mechanically compress the incoming air 108. It shouldbe appreciated that the turbine 202 may be mechanically coupled to anytype or number of compressors 206 to create pressurized air 112 to beadded to the high-pressure environment 140 within the aircraft cabin110. The turbine 202 and the one or more compressors 206 mayadditionally or alternatively be pneumatically or hydraulically coupledto compress the incoming air 108.

By mechanically coupling the turbine 202 to the compressor 206,significantly less power is required to provide the pressurized air 112to the aircraft cabin 110 since the compressor is substantially drivenby the turbine 202. In an alternative mechanical coupling embodiment,the energy harvesting mechanism 200 includes any other type ofmechanical device 308 that is directly or mechanically coupled to theturbine shaft 204 of the turbine 202 to utilize the rotational motion ofthe turbine shaft 204 to perform work. An example mechanical device 308includes, but is not limited to, pumps for a hydraulic system of theaircraft 102 to control any applicable aircraft control system such asan elevator, rudder, aileron, high-lift device, or landing gear. Afurther non-limiting example of mechanical devices 308 include a fueltransfer pump, a fuel booster pump, and any other pump corresponding toan aircraft system.

FIG. 3B shows a second embodiment associated with the energy harvestingmechanism 200 in which the turbine shaft 204 is indirectly orelectrically coupled to a device that utilizes the rotational motion ofthe turbine shaft 204 to do work. For example, the turbine shaft 204 maybe directly coupled to an electrical generator 302, which uses therotational motion of the turbine shaft 204 to create electrical energy304 to power an electrical load 306. For the purposes of thisdisclosure, the conversion of the rotational motion of the turbine shaft204 to electricity for powering an electrical load 306 is consideredindirect coupling, or electrical coupling, of the turbine 202 or turbineshaft 204 to the electrical load 306. Similarly, any physical couplingbetween the turbine shaft 204 and a device is considered direct ormechanical coupling.

As shown in FIG. 3B, electrical energy 304 may be provided to any ofvarious types of electrical loads 306 via an electrical output 310. Theelectrical output 310 is configured to electrically couple theelectrical generator 302 to an electrical load 306. Examples ofelectrical loads 306 include, but are not limited to an electric motor,a compressor, an electrical energy storage device, a sensor, a lightingdevice, and a heating, ventilating, or cooling device. According to oneembodiment, the outgoing air 118 from the aircraft cabin 110 drives aturbine 202, which imparts rotational motion on a turbine shaft 204. Anelectrical generator 302 coupled to the turbine shaft 204 createselectrical energy 304, which is supplied via an electrical output 310 toan electric motor. The electric motor is used to drive the compressor206 to further compress incoming air 108 from the low-pressureenvironment 130. The potential uses for the electrical energy 304 arevast, encompassing any electrical system on the aircraft 102. It shouldbe appreciated that converting the mechanical energy associated with therotational motion of the turbine shaft 204 to electrical energy 304 isuseful if the air input 104 and an air output 106 are located a distancefrom one another such that the mechanically coupling is not practical.

FIG. 3C shows a third embodiment associated with the energy harvestingmechanism 200 in which the compressor 206 is not directly or indirectlycoupled to a turbine shaft 204. Rather, according to this embodiment,heat energy 313 is harvested from the compressor 206 using a thermalmechanism 312, which is then provided to a thermal load 314. The thermalmechanism may be any material or device that transfers heat away fromthe compressor 206 and provides that heat to an appropriate system orthermal load 314. FIG. 4A illustrates one example of the embodiment ofFIG. 3C. According to this example embodiment, a compression chamber 402of the compressor 206 produces warm pressurized air that is output tothe high-pressure environment 140. The heat 404 produced during thiscompression process may be transferred from the compression chamber 402back to the entrance chamber 401 of the compressor 206 to increase theefficiency of the compressor 206. In this embodiment, the compressor 206is the thermal load 314 receiving the heat energy 313 produced by thecompressor 206 itself. The thermal mechanism 312 may include any type ofheat sink material or mechanism commonly known in the art to transferheat between the compression chamber 402 and the entrance chamber 401.

Returning to the embodiments utilizing a turbine 206, the mechanical orelectrical output created from the rotation of the turbine shaft 204increases as the efficiency of the turbine 202 increases. The efficiencyof the turbine 202 may be increased by increasing the temperature of thepressurized air 112 prior to routing the air through the turbine 202.Increasing the temperature differential between the pressurized air 112entering the turbine 202 and the air within the low-pressure environment130 into which the pressurized air 112 is expelled into, increases theefficiency of the turbine 202 as the pressurized air 112 rapidly expandsthrough the turbine towards the low-pressure environment 130. Toincrease the temperature of the pressurized air 112 entering the turbine202, an expansion chamber 406 of the turbine 202 is thermally coupled toa compression chamber 402 of the compressor 206, according to variousembodiments.

FIG. 4B, illustrates embodiments in which a compression chamber 402 of acompressor 206 is thermally coupled to an expansion chamber 406 of aturbine 202 and an exit chamber 405 of the turbine 202 may be thermallycoupled to the entrance chamber 401 of the compressor 206. Thecompression process that takes place within the compression chamber 402of the compressor 206 creates heat 404. This heat 404 may be transferredin part to the pressurized air 112 entering the expansion chamber 406 ofthe turbine 202. For the purposes of this disclosure, thermal couplingincludes placing the components to be thermally coupled in closeproximity of one another, in contact with one another, or in thermalcontact with one another via conductive material. Essentially, thermalcoupling encompasses the use of any material or process used tofacilitate the transfer of heat between thermally coupled components.Just as the heat 404 transfer from the compression chamber 402 of thecompressor 206 to the expansion chamber 406 of the turbine 202 increasesthe efficiency of the turbine 202, heat energy 313 from the heated airwithin the turbine 202 expanding into the cool environment outside theaircraft may be transferred to the entrance chamber 401 of thecompressor 206 to increase the efficiency of the compressor 206.

For example, referring to the compression chamber 402 of the compressor206 and the expansion chamber 406 of the turbine 202, but equallyapplicable to the exit chamber 405 of the turbine 202 and the entrancechamber 401 of the compressor 206, the energy harvesting system 200 maybe designed so that the compression chamber 402 of the compressor 206 ispositioned adjacent to and in close proximity of the expansion chamber406 of a turbine 202. Heat 404 is transferred from the heated incomingair 108 within the compression chamber 402 to the cooler outgoing air118 within the expansion chamber 406. Alternatively, the compressionchamber 402 and the expansion chamber 406 may be positioned such thatthey physically contact one another. A further alternative includesconnecting the compression chamber 402 to the expansion chamber 406 witha conductive material like metal such that the expansion chamber 406functionally becomes a heat sink for the compression chamber 402. Thisthermal coupling not only increases the efficiency of the turbine 202,but also reduces or eliminates the power conventionally used to cool thecompressed air within the compression chamber 402 before it enters theaircraft cabin 110. It should be appreciated that the thermal couplingembodiments may be used in conjunction with the direct couplingembodiments described above with respect to FIG. 3A, as well as with theindirect coupling embodiments described above with respect to FIG. 3B.

To illustrate the benefits resulting from the use of an energyharvesting system 200 described herein, an example calculation will beprovided with respect to an increase in fuel efficiency. Although theimproved aircraft fuel efficiency is dependent on the number ofpassengers and cruising altitude, an estimate for a Boeing 787Dreamliner at cruising altitude is approximately 0.19%-0.25%. Theassumptions and formula used to arrive at this result will now bediscussed.

At a cruising altitude of 40,000 ft, the cabin air pressure and freshair flow are approximately 11.77 psi and 190 lbm/min, respectively ifthe aircraft 102 is not at capacity. If at capacity, fresh air flow isincreased to approximately 245 lbm/min, which is a 29% increase over 190lbm/min. Continuing the example using the 190 lbm/min air flow rate, ifthe air leakage at this altitude is assumed to be approximately 4.8%,the usable air flow rate is 190 lbm/min×(1−0.048)=181 lbm/min. Thedensity of air at 11.77 psi and at a temperature of −70° F. is 0.0595lbm/ft³. The air flow is 181 lbm/min/0.0595 lbm/ft³=3,042 cfm. Theenergy released by isothermal expansion of air under these conditionscan be calculated by determining the energy stored in the aircraft cabin110 using the equation

${W = p},v,{\ln - {\,{\,^{P}\underset{PB}{A}}}}$where W is the energy stored, p_(B) is the pressure of the high pressuregas, v_(B) is the volume of the pressurized gas, and p_(A) is thepressure of the atmosphere. The amount of energy stored in a gas at apressure of 11.77 psi (81.15 kPa) and temperature of 70° F. (294° K) ata flow rate of 3,042 cfm (1.435 cms) into the atmosphere at −70° F.(216.65° K) and pressure of 2.72 psi (18.75 kPa) is (81.15 kPa)×(1.435cms)×ln(18.75 kPa/81.15 kPa)=−170.6 kW. The negative sign indicates thiswork is needed to transform the gas from State A (atmosphere) to State B(aircraft cabin).

Using the calculated quantity of energy stored in the aircraft cabin110, the improvement in aircraft fuel efficiency can be calculated.Using the Boeing 787-9 as an example, the aircraft 102 has a range of7,635 nmi, a cruising speed of 567 mph, and a fuel capacity of 33,384gallons of Jet Fuel A (unleaded Kerosene, 37.12 kWh/gal=133,632kWs/gal). The time required for a long-range flight would be 7,635nmi/567 mph=13.46 hours (48,476 sec). The fuel consumption rate istherefore 33,384 gal/48,476 sec=0.688 gal/sec. The power required by theaircraft 102 is (133,632 kWs/gal)×(0.688 gal/sec)=91,939 kW. Theimprovement in aircraft fuel efficiency is therefore 170.6 kW/91,939kW=0.19%. If the full capacity air flow rate of 245 lbm/min is used inthe calculation, a 29% increase in the 0.19% fuel efficiency resultbecomes an improvement aircraft fuel efficiency of 1.29×0.19%=0.25%.

An example financial savings resulting from a 0.25% improvement in fuelefficiency is approximately $42,547 per year per aircraft. This value isbased on 3,431 flight hours per year per aircraft. Using a long haulflight time of 13.46 hours this equates to 3,431/13.46=254.9 flights peryear. The gallons of fuel used per year are therefore254.9×33,384=8,509,581. The gallons saved are 8,509,581×0.0025=21,273gallons/year. For a fuel price of $2/gal, airlines would save$42,547/year/aircraft.

FIG. 5 shows a routine 500 for harvesting energy from an aircraft cabinpressurization system 100 according to various embodiments presentedherein. It should be appreciated that more or fewer operations may beperformed than shown in the figures and described herein. Theseoperations may also be performed in parallel, or in a different orderthan those described herein.

The routine 500 begins at operation 502, where pressurized air 112 isreceived from the high-pressure environment 140 within the aircraftcabin 110. At operation 504, the pressurized air 112 is released asoutgoing air 118 to the low-pressure environment 130 through a turbine202. The routine 500 continues from operation 504 to operation 506,where the rotational motion imparted on the turbine shaft 204 of theturbine 202 from the pressurized air 112 expanding into the low-pressureenvironment 130 is received at the energy harvesting mechanism 200.

As described above, the energy harvesting mechanism 200 may include acompressor 206 directly coupled to the turbine shaft 204. In the directcoupling embodiment, the routine 500 proceeds from operation 506 tooperation 508, where the rotational motion of the turbine shaft 204 isimparted on the compressor 206 to which turbine shaft 204 ismechanically coupled, compressing incoming air 108 to create pressurizedair 112. The pressurized air 112 is provided to the high-pressureenvironment 140 in the aircraft cabin 110 at operation 510, and theroutine 500 ends.

However, if the energy harvesting mechanism 200 is indirectly coupled tothe turbine shaft 204, then the routine 500 proceeds from operation 506to operation 512, where the rotational motion of the turbine shaft 204is converted into electrical energy 304. As discussed above, thisindirect coupling embodiment includes coupling a generator 302 to theturbine shaft 204 to create the electrical energy 304 from theassociated rotational motion. The routine 500 continues from operation512 to operation 514, where the electrical energy 304 is provided to anelectrical load 306 via an electrical output 310, and the routine 500ends.

Based on the foregoing, it should be appreciated that technologies foran energy harvesting system for use with an aircraft cabinpressurization system, and a corresponding method for harvesting energyutilizing the same are provided herein. The subject matter describedabove is provided by way of illustration only and should not beconstrued as limiting. Various modifications and changes may be made tothe subject matter described herein without following the exampleembodiments and applications illustrated and described, and withoutdeparting from the true spirit and scope of the present disclosure,which is set forth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An energy harvesting system, comprising: anaircraft cabin enclosing a high-pressure environment comprising aninterior aircraft cabin air at a first air pressure, the aircraft cabindefining a low-pressure environment exterior of the aircraft cabincomprising an exterior aircraft cabin air at a second air pressure lowerthan the first air pressure, wherein the aircraft cabin includes an airinput, fluidly communicating between the low pressure environment andthe aircraft cabin, and an air output, fluidly communicating between theaircraft cabin and the low pressure environment; a turbine in fluidcommunication with the air output, the turbine comprising: an expansionchamber configured to receive the interior aircraft cabin air and expandthe received air from the first air pressure to the second air pressure;and an exit chamber configured to direct the expanded air to thelow-pressure environment via the air output; wherein the turbine isconfigured to produce rotational motion of a turbine shaft in responseto the received interior aircraft cabin air expanding; and an energyharvesting mechanism comprising: an entrance chamber in fluidcommunication with the air input and configured to receive the exterioraircraft cabin air; and a compressor coupled to the turbine shaft andconfigured to compress the exterior aircraft cabin air and direct thecompressed air into the aircraft cabin at the first air pressure,wherein the compressor defines a compression chamber configured to warmthe compressed air; and wherein the exit chamber of the turbine isthermally coupled to the entrance chamber of the energy harvestingmechanism such that heat from the exit chamber is transferred to theentrance chamber.
 2. The energy harvesting system of claim 1, wherein:the energy harvesting mechanism further comprises an electricalgenerator coupled to the turbine shaft and configured to convert therotational motion into electrical energy; and the compressor is operablycoupled to the generator so that the electrical energy drives thecompressor.
 3. The energy harvesting system of claim 2, wherein theenergy harvesting mechanism further comprises an electrical outputconfigured to electrically couple the electrical generator to anelectrical load for providing the electrical energy to the electricalload.
 4. The energy harvesting system of claim 3, wherein the electricalload comprises a heating device.
 5. The energy harvesting system ofclaim 3, wherein the electrical load comprises at least one of anelectric motor, an electrical energy storage device, a sensor, and alighting device.
 6. The energy harvesting system of claim 3, wherein thecompressor is configured to receive the exterior aircraft cabin air atthe second air pressure.
 7. The energy harvesting system of claim 1,wherein: the compressor is mechanically coupled to the turbine shaft,the compressor configured to receive the exterior aircraft cabin air atthe second air pressure; and the energy harvesting system furthercomprises: an electrical generator coupled to the turbine shaft andconfigured to convert the rotational motion into electrical energy; andan electrical output configured to electrically couple the electricalgenerator to an electrical load for providing the electrical energy tothe electrical load.
 8. The energy harvesting system of claim 1, whereinthe energy harvesting system is one of an environmental control system(ECS) and a ventilation system.
 9. The energy harvesting system of claim1, wherein the compression chamber of the compressor is thermallycoupled to the expansion chamber of the turbine.
 10. An energyharvesting system, comprising: an aircraft cabin enclosing ahigh-pressure environment comprising an interior aircraft cabin air at afirst air pressure, the aircraft cabin defining a low-pressureenvironment exterior of the aircraft cabin comprising an exterioraircraft cabin air at a second air pressure lower than the first airpressure, wherein the aircraft cabin includes an air input, fluidlycommunicating between the low pressure environment and the aircraftcabin, and an air output, fluidly communicating between the aircraftcabin and the low pressure environment; a turbine in fluid communicationwith the air output, the turbine comprising an expansion chamberconfigured to receive the interior aircraft cabin air and expand thereceived air from the first air pressure to the second air pressure,wherein the turbine is configured to produce rotational motion of aturbine shaft in response to the received interior aircraft cabin airexpanding; and an energy harvesting mechanism comprising: an entrancechamber in fluid communication with the air input and configured toreceive the exterior aircraft cabin air; and a compressor coupled to theturbine shaft and configured to compress the exterior aircraft cabin airand direct the compressed air into the aircraft cabin at the first airpressure, wherein the compressor defines a compression chamberconfigured to warm the compressed air, and wherein the compressionchamber is thermally coupled to the entrance chamber such that heat fromthe compression chamber is transferred to the entrance chamber.
 11. Theenergy harvesting system of claim 10, wherein: the energy harvestingmechanism further comprises an electrical generator coupled to theturbine shaft and configured to convert the rotational motion intoelectrical energy; and the compressor is operably coupled to thegenerator so that the electrical energy drives the compressor.
 12. Theenergy harvesting system of claim 11, wherein the energy harvestingmechanism further comprises an electrical output configured toelectrically couple the electrical generator to an electrical load forproviding the electrical energy to the electrical load.
 13. The energyharvesting system of claim 11, wherein the electrical load comprises aheating device.
 14. The energy harvesting system of claim 11, whereinthe electrical load comprises at least one of an electric motor, anelectrical energy storage device, a sensor, and a lighting device. 15.The energy harvesting system of claim 10, wherein: the compressor ismechanically coupled to the turbine shaft, the compressor configured toreceive the exterior aircraft cabin air at the second air pressure; andthe energy harvesting system further comprises: an electrical generatorcoupled to the turbine shaft and configured to convert the rotationalmotion into electrical energy; and an electrical output configured toelectrically couple the electrical generator to an electrical load forproviding the electrical energy to the electrical load.
 16. The energyharvesting system of claim 10, wherein the energy harvesting system isone of an environmental control system (ECS) and a ventilation system.17. The energy harvesting system of claim 10, wherein the compressionchamber of the compressor is thermally coupled to the expansion chamberof the turbine.
 18. The energy harvesting system of claim 10, wherein aheat sink material is disposed between the compression chamber and theentrance chamber.
 19. An energy harvesting system, comprising: anaircraft cabin enclosing a high-pressure environment comprising aninterior aircraft cabin air at a first air pressure, the aircraft cabindefining a low-pressure environment exterior of the aircraft cabincomprising an exterior aircraft cabin air at a second air pressure lowerthan the first air pressure, wherein the aircraft cabin includes an airinput, fluidly communicating between the low pressure environment andthe aircraft cabin, and an air output, fluidly communicating between theaircraft cabin and the low pressure environment; an energy harvestingmechanism comprising: a compressor in fluid communication with the airinput and configured to compress the exterior aircraft cabin air anddirect the compressed air into the aircraft cabin at the first airpressure, wherein the compressor defines a compression chamberconfigured to warm the compressed air and an entrance chamber forreceiving the exterior aircraft cabin air; and a thermal mechanismoperably coupled to the compressor and configured to receive heat energyfrom the compression chamber and transfer the heat energy from thecompression chamber to the entrance chamber, wherein the thermalmechanism is thermally coupled to at least one of the air input or theair output.